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The Newe Littleton

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2009

J. H. Baker
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No account of the history of English legal literature can omit the name of Littleton. Sir Thomas Littleton's treatise on tenures made the family name almost synonymous with the common law itself. But it is not generally known that another member of that illustrious family left unfinished a work which, had it been completed and published, would have earned him a position of importance in the history, not only of English, but of universal jurisprudence. In so far as the will ought to be taken for the deed, perhaps some measure of recognition may justifiably be afforded to his work even after three centuries of oblivion. The author was Edward Littleton (1589–1645), Baron Littleton of Munslow, a direct descendant of Sir Thomas. Educated at Christ Church College, Oxford, he entered the Inner Temple in 1608; and there, like his near-contemporary John Selden (1584–1654), he developed a taste for comparative jurisprudence, legal history, and the study of records. His reputation for learning brought him in 1640 to the seat of Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and within a year he was made Lord Keeper. The transition to high office was a personal disaster, since Littleton's nature did not suit him for a position of political delicacy, and his brief tenure of the Seal was scarcely less miserable than that of his predecessor Finch—who had fled to Holland in 1640. Among Littleton's first tasks was to preside over the preliminaries to the proposed impeachments of Finch and the ship-money judges, and the lengthy preparations for the trial of Strafford. Within months he became ill, and from February until August 1641 he absented himself from the House of Lords. The following year, either from fear or high-mindedness, he quit London, following the King to York and thence to Oxford. In his hurried flight he apparently left behind some of his goods and papers in the “Black Lodgings” in the Inner Temple. His health continued to deteriorate, and he died (aged 56) on 27 August 1645.

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The Cambridge Law Journal , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , April 1974 , pp. 145 - 155
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Copyright © Cambridge Law Journal and Contributors 1974

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References

1 W. Fulbecke, Direction or Preparative to the Study of the Law (1600), f. 27v. Sir Thomas was, in fact, the son of Thomas Westcote; his mother was the heiress of Thomas de Littleton, and her name was assumed by her eldest son (Thomas) at the time of his christening.

2 Biographical details are taken from the preface to Les Reports des Seigneur Littleton (1683), sig. B; Wood, A., Athenae Oxonienses, iii, 175Google Scholar; Foss, E., Judges of England, vi, 343–352Google Scholar; Dictionary of National Biography.

3 Selden was admitted to the Inner Temple, from Oxford, in 1603.

4 There was some question whether these belonged to Lord Littleton or his brother, Serjeant (later Baron) Timothy Littleton: HLJ, vi, 265 (21 October 1643).

5 Monumental inscription, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

6 HCJ, iv, 274 (16 September 1645). The House also disposed of his embroidered purse and gowns: Ibid 330.

7 B. Whitelocke, Memorials of the English Affairs (1853 ed.), i, 513.

8 As to which, see [1972A] C.L.J. 59 at pp. 78–80.

9 Les Reports des Seigneur Littleton (1683), epistle, sig. Bv: “The Reason why these Reports came out so long after the Author's death, is that his Papers rested till within these few years in the hands of his Brother, and Executor, Sir Timothy Littleton…who kept them for his own private use.” Littleton B. died in 1679.

10 It seems that these were partly by a Mr. Allestree and partly by Humfrey Mack-worth: note by Edward Umfreville, Brit.Lib., MS.Harg. 362, f. 3v.

11 Brit.Lib.. MS.Harg. 372 (3), f. 90; MS.Add. 42117, f. I; Salk. 46, p1. 2. The statute is 27 Edw. 3, cap. 17.

12 Harvard Law School, MS. 2106. The writer is indebted to Dr. Edith G. Henderson, Curator of the Treasure Room, for allowing him to examine the entire collection of manuscripts, few of which have been noticed in print.

13 Unidentified cutting, item 814, which incorrectly (and inexplicably) gives the date as 1580.

14 Catalogue of a selected portion of the Crowcombe Court Library [sold by Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge on 6 May 1903], p. 23, lot 201, where it is wrongly dated to the eighteenth century.

15 HMC, IV, Appendix, pp. 368 et seq.

16 See the Preface, and also various references throughout to his own decisions as Chief Justice and Lord Keeper. Plucknett identified it in 1927 (note inside the volume), but seems to have thought it of no particular importance.

17 He cites several cases decided between 1640 and 1643, and also two recent works: Grotius, H., Florum Sparsio ad Ius lustineanumGoogle Scholar (Paris, 1642; or Amsterdam, 1643); Morisot, C. B., Orbis Maritimi Generalis HistoriaGoogle Scholar (Dijon, 1643).

18 In this table the number of pages is given in parentheses; the volume is unpaginated. Abbot (4). Abeyance (3). Abjuration (3). Abbreviation (1) [“The rules of the laws of England for Interpretation of abbreviated words.”] Abridgment of Demaundes and Plaintes (4). Abuttals (1). Accessories (11). Accounts (9). Acquittance (4). Aire (3) [Eyre]. Acra (1). Action (12). Adjournement (20). Admirall (14). Adulterie and Fornication (20). Advouson (15). Age (7). Agistment (2). Aides (10). Alderman (2). Alien (4). Ambassadors (10). Annates (6). Apostates (5). Apostle (3). Appeales (5). Apprentice (6). Appropriations (13). Arbiterment (10). Arrerages (1). Arrest (1). Assaut (6). Assise (2). Assurance (3). Atturney (5). Auncient Demesne (10). Avoury (1).

19 He took command of the Inns of Court Regiment in 1643.

20 He proceeded Doctor of Civil Law in 1643.

21 S.v. Admirall. Probably Brit.Lib., Cotton MS. Otho E. ix.

22 HCJ, ii, 69; [1972A] C.L.J. at p. 80; Cambridge University Library, MS. Ee. iv.7, ff. 9, 13 (infra).

23 S.v. Adulterie. It was held that the adultery fell within the et alia enormia ei intulit clause of the general writ: a good example of the artificial extension of an old writ to provide a new remedy. (The action on the case for criminal conversation was invented later.)

24 S.v. Appeals. This confirmed the principle that, in default of a visitor appointed by the founder, appeal lay to the King in Chancery. The earlier decision had been forgotten when the principle was laid down in R. v. Master and Fellows of St. Catharine's Hall (1791) 4 T.R. 233.

25 S.v. Abbot, Action, Age, Admirall, Aids.

26 Probably Bodl.Lib., MS.Top.Gen. c. 4. For Leland and his manuscripts, see McKisack, M., Medieval History in the Tudor Age (1971), pp. 1–7.Google Scholar

27 Authors include Aristotle, Cicero, Columella, Philoxenus, Plautus, Pliny, Suetonius, Terence, Tertullian, Tully, Valerius Maximus, and Xenophon.

28 St. Anselm, Hector Boethius, St. Gregory of Tours, Marculfus monachus, Bartolomeo Platina, and Jean Zonaras.

29 De lure Belli ac Pacis (1st ed., Paris, 1625); Appendix ad Commentationem de Anti-Christo (Amsterdam, 1641); Annotationes in Libros Evangeliorum (Amsterdam, 1641); Florum Sparsio ad lus Iustineanum (Paris, 1642).

30 Codinus, De Officiis (Lyon, 1588).

31 Clamengius, De Annatis non Solvendis (Cologne, 1535).

32 The notes which follow give the citation as in the manuscript, and then (in square brackets) an attempt to identify the work. Where there is more than one edition, the earliest has been given. Perhaps the very books which Littleton used are still at Oxford?

33 “Jo. Baptista de Arbitriis.” [1st ed., Venice, 1481. And in Tractatus Universi Iuris (Venice, 1584).]

34 “J. de St. Georgio tract, de homagiis.” [De feudis et homagiis (Lyon, 1544).]

35 “Vincent de Franchis decis.” [Decisiones sacri regii Consilii Neapolitani (Venice, 1580).]

36 “Jo. Beka in Chron. Ultraj. et Cons. Hollandiae.” [Chronicon continens res gestas Ultrajectinae et comitum Hollandiae (1611).]

37 “Gaile de arrestis Imperii.” [De manum iniectionibus, impediments, sive arrestis Imperii (1578).]

38 “ Heinsius exercitationes sacr.” [Exercitationes sacrae ad novum Testamentum (Leyden, 1639). Cf. Sacrarum Exercitationum Libri XII (Cambridge, 1640), STC 13040.]

39 “And. Rawchbar 50 quaest. insign. ad iuris saxonici.”

40 “Argentrius in consuetudines Britannie.” [The first complete edition appeared in 1608, but d'Argentre began publishing the customs of Brittany in 1568.]

41 “P. Erod. Pandect.” [Rerum iudicatarum pandectae (Paris, 1588).]

42 “Claudius de Battandier in pract. crim. Regula.” [Cf. Praxis causarum criminalium (1567).]

43 “Balduinus in institut.” [In quatuor libros institutionum Iuris Chilis Commentarii (Lyon, 1583).]

44 “Josias Berault coment.” [La coustume reformee du pays et duche de Normandie… avec les commentaires… par M. Josias Berault (Rouen, 1612).]

45 “Bochellus in thesauro iuris Gallicani.” [Cf. La bibliotheque ou thesor du droict Francois (Paris, 1615).]

46 “Bulenger. imperii Romani.” [De Imperatore et Imperio Romano (Lyon, 1618).]

47 “Budaeus… philologiae.” [De Philologia (Paris, 1532).] “Bude greeke Com-mentarie.” [Commentarii Linguae Graecae (Paris, 1529).]

48 “Cassaneus de consuetud. Burgund.” [Commentarii in consuetudinibus ducatus Burgundie (Lyon, 1528). This author was known to Coke: see 5 Irish Jurist (N.s.) at p. 397.]

49 “Renatus Chopinus de Domanio Franc.” [De Domanio Franciae (Paris, 1574).]

50 “Corasius Paraph, ad sacerdot. materiam.” [In universam sacerdotium materiam Paraphrasis, in Tractatus Vniversi Iuris (Venice, 1584).]

51 “Cuiacius… Paratitles.” [Paratitla in libros IX Codicis (Lyon, 1606).]

52 “Forcatulus de Gallorum moribus.” [Cf. De Gallorum Imperio et Philosophia (Paris, 1580).]

53 “Gothofred.” [Corpus Iuris Civilis cum notis Gothofredi (Lyon, 1583).]

54 “Hotoman Coment.” [Commentarius de verbis iuris (Basle, 1558); or Commentarius in Institutionem (Basle, 1560); or Commentationum Iuris Civilis Libri XXII (Basle, 1576).]

55 “Morisotus orbis maritimi historia.” [Dijon, 1643.]

56 6 “Guido Papaeus Decis.” [Decisiones Parliament! Delphinatus (Lyon, 1562).]

57 “Pasquier recherches.” [Des recherches de la France (Paris, 1560).]

58 “Rageau Indice des Droits.” [Indice des droils royaux et seigneuriaux (Paris, 1585).]

59 “Jo. Tilius de rebus Gallicis.” [Commentariorum de rebus gallicis libri duo (Frankfurt, 1579).]

60 “Tiraquel. de utroque retractu.” [Commenlarii de utroque relractu (Paris, 1543).]

61 “Popelliniere Amiral de France.” [L'Amiral de France (Paris, 1584).]

62 Cf. 4 Inst., c. 26, which is cited by Littleton; but Coke's sources are almost entirely English, and Coke is only concerned with the municipal law relating to ambassadors.

63 For further details of these authors and their works, see: Hrabar, V. E., De Legatis et Legationibus Tractatus Varii (1905)Google Scholar; Adair, E. R., The Extraterritoriality of Ambassadors in the 16th and 17th Centuries (1929)Google Scholar; Behrens, B. E., “Treatises on the Ambassador written in the 15th and early 16th Centuries” (1936)Google Scholar 51 English Historical Review 616; Simmonds, K. R., “Pierr e Ayrault et le Droit d'Ambassade” (1960)Google Scholar 64 Rev.Gen.Droit Intern. Publ. 753; Queller, D. E., The Office of Ambassador in the Middle Ages (1967)Google Scholar; Nahlik, S. E., Narodziny Nowozytnej Dyplomacji (1971), pp. 240–250.Google Scholar (The writer is grateful to Dr. W. E. Butler for bringing the last work to his notice.)

64 “Brunellus de Legationibus.” [Tractatus de dignitate et potestate legati (Paris, 1519).]

65 “Jo. a Chokier Tr. de legato. [Cologne, 1624.]

66 “ Alberic. Gentilis de legat.” [De legationibus libri tres (London, 1585), STC 11737.]

67 “Anastasius Germonius de legatis.” [Rome, 1617.]

68 “Grotius in Evangel.”; “Grotius de bell, et P.”; “Grotius florum sparsio.” [Supra, note 29.]

69 “Hotman.” [The Ambassador (London, 1603), STC 13848.]

70 “Lindenbr. annales ste…” [His major work was the Codex Legum Antiquarum (Frankfurt, 1613), which may be Littleton's source for the barbaric laws.]

71 “Frid. de Marselare legatus.” [Antwerp, 1618.]

72 “Octav. Magius de legato Ven. 1566.” [This is the first edition.]

73 “Car. Paschalius de legationibus.” [Rouen, 1598.]

74 “Salmasius ad hist. August.” [Historiae Augustae Scriptores (Paris, 1620).]

75 “Gundisalvus de villa Diega de legato.” [In Tractatus Universi luris (Venice,1584). First edition, 1549.]

76 “Christ. Warsevicius de legato et legat.” [Cracow, 1595.]

77 “Cf. University Library Cambridge, MS. Mm.6.62, f. 68: “Vide mon forest law.”

78 University Library Cambridge, MS. Ee.iv.7. It is now bound up with other pieces, the original binding (with any preliminaries) having been destroyed.

79 The main titles are: Privilege (ff. 2–3, 6), Subsidies (f. 3), Punition pur enfreindre des privileges (f. 4), Droit d'Elections (f. 4v), Impositions (f. 5), Elections (ff. 7–8), Assent (f. 9), Adjournments (f. 9), Procurators du clerge en Parliament (f. 9v), Judicature non limite per les loix ordinaires (ff. 10–15), Parliament en general (f. 26). On f. 27 is a memorandum of the introduction of Finch as Lord Keeper, and on f. 29 of an “introduction de novel Baron a la maison” in 1640.

80 Supra, note. 22; J. Selden, Priviledges of the Baronage (1642), Wing S.2434; W. Prynne, The Soveraigne Power of Parliaments (1643), Wing P.4088.

81 At f. 4v: “Voyez les reports de Glanvill qui estoit a la chaire pur elections 21 Jacobi il en a fait de reports.” There was perhaps a tradition of keeping law reports of Parliamentary proceedings. Serjeant Richardson (Speaker 1620–1623) made a similar compilation, a copy of which by Trevor M.R. was sold at the Bromley-Davenport sale, Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge, 8 May 1903, lot 375.

82 2 Margin of f. 4v: “Vide chez Glanvill Maynard et al. leurs reports;” f. 5: “See in the Parliament 21 et 22 Jacobi chez Walter, Selden, Roll, et al.” Cf. MS. Mm.6.62, f. 22: “Serjeant Glanvill's reports of Priviledges.”

83 From f. 26v, with added punctuation. See also HLJ, iv. 437a, 633b, 634a.

84 At f. 11: “Feb. 16 Caroli tenus per moy, Bankes chief Justice de C.B., Herbert Attorney, et Selden, que le roy peut estre present au trial entre les seigneurs, come les precedens sont, mais les seigneurs sont les Juges.”

85 At f. 13. See also ff. 10, 12v, 14, 15v, 26v. These notes are first-hand sources, though they do not throw much new light on the matter. Cf. Russell, C., “The Theory of Treason in the Trial of Strafford” (1965)Google Scholar 80 English Historical Review 30.

86 MS. Mm.6.68 (3). The notes on ff. 50–54, 82–104, are in Littleton's hand. At f. 88 v he mentions records “au libraire d'Oxford.”

87 MS. Mm.6.62. The notes on ff. 22–28, 33–37, 40v–43v, 56–57 63v–70 74 77–83, 114–124, 127v–138, 143, 145, 146, 148v–155, 158v, are in Littleton's hand. Other items in the volume are annotated by him. At ff. 156–157 is a note addressed to “Mr. Littleton at his chamber in the Inner Temple.”

88 Some of these were available in English editions: seeSTC 3185, 3193, 5051–5,12432–5, 17159, 17161, 17167, 22244–6. They include most of the founders of a school of institutional historians: see Kelley, D. R., Foundations of Modern Historical Scholarship (1970), esp. at pp. 212–214.Google Scholar

89 Lestat des affaires de France. [Paris, 1570.]

90 Commentaria in…Hbros ordinationum Castellae. [Salamanca, 1574–5. 1st ed., 1560. Glossed edition of Dr. Montalvo's ordinances of 1485.]

91 Las virtudes del Principe Christiano. [Madrid, 1595; Antwerp, 1597. A criticism of Machiavelli.]

91 De republica Galliae. [Argentorati, 1562.]

92 William Noy (1577–1634), William Hakewill (1574–1655), and Charles Jones (barrister 1619, bencher 1636), were all members of Lincoln's Inn. Hakewill wrote The Manner how Statutes are enacted in Parliament (1641).